Method and apparatus for modifying the presentation of content

ABSTRACT

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method for processing an audio/video stream includes providing an audio/video stream including at least one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show, receiving location information to identify a video location within the audio/video stream, and processing the audio/video stream to identify boundaries of the at least one segment of the show based on the location information. Further, the method includes outputting the segment of the show for presentation by a display device without outputting the interstitial and outputting the interstitial for presentation by the display device subsequent to outputting the segment of the show.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods forpresenting media content.

BACKGROUND

Digital video recorders (DVRs) and personal video recorders (PVRs) allowviewers to record video in a digital format to a disk drive or othertype of storage medium for later playback. DVRs are often incorporatedinto set-top boxes for satellite and cable television services. Atelevision program stored on a set-top box allows a viewer to performtime shifting functions, and may additionally allow a viewer to skipover commercial breaks and other portions of the recording that theviewer does not desire to watch. However, the user performs thisfunction manually, for example, using a fast forward button of a remotecontrol associated with the DVR. This manual fast forwarding is aninconvenience for the user. Further, manual fast forwarding by a useroften leads to inaccurate results, because the user may fast forwardpast portions of the recording they desire to watch, or may resumeplayback during the portion of the recording that they want to skipover.

In some instances, the user desires to watch the television programinitially without the interruption of commercial breaks, but subsequentto watching the television program, desires to view the commercials thatwere previously skipped. In this case, the user must not only manuallyfast forward over the commercial breaks during the initial viewing ofthe television program, but must then also rewind after the televisionprogram is completed to view the commercials. The prior art thus failsto solve this problem in a manner that is easy and convenient for theuser.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method for processing anaudio/video stream includes providing an audio/video stream including atleast one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show,receiving location information to identify a video location within theaudio/video stream, and processing the audio/video stream to identifyboundaries of the at least one segment of the show based on the locationinformation. Further, the method includes outputting the segment of theshow for presentation by a display device without outputting theinterstitial and outputting the interstitial for presentation by thedisplay device subsequent to outputting the segment of the show.Alternatively, the method may include generating location information byan user to identify a video location within the audio/video stream (forexample, an user can using pause to mark a segment's start and endduring playback).

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a digital videorecorder includes a communication interface that receives an audio/videostream including at least one segment of a show and at least oneinterstitial of the show, a storage medium, and control logiccommunicatively coupled to the communication interface and the storagemedium that: coordinates storage of the audio/video stream onto thestorage medium, receives location information to identify a videolocation within the audio/video stream, and processes the recordedaudio/video stream to identify boundaries of the at least one segment ofthe show. Further, the digital video recorder includes an audio/videointerface communicatively coupled to the control logic that outputs thesegment of the show for presentation by a display device withoutoutputting the interstitial, and, subsequently to outputting thesegment, outputs the interstitial for presentation by the displaydevice.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote likeelements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system for presenting content to auser.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of afirst presentation stream received by the receiving device.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a second presentation streamoutputted by the receiving device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a system for presenting content to auser.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of thefirst A/V stream received by the receiving device, and a second A/Vstream outputted by the receiving device.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment in which the boundaries of a segment ofan A/V stream are identified based on a text string included within thetext data associated with the A/V stream.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a system for presenting content to auser.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graphical representation of the first presentationstream of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates a more explicit view of a receiving device accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a system including multiplereceiving devices coupled to a communication network to receive A/Vstreams.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a process for outputting a streamof data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and isnot intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of theinvention. As used herein, the word “exemplary” means “serving as anexample, instance, or illustration.” Thus, any embodiment describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments.

The various embodiments described herein generally provide apparatus,systems, and methods that facilitate the reception, processing, andoutputting of presentation content. More particularly, the variousembodiments described herein provide for the identification of locationsin a presentation stream based on metadata associated with thepresentation stream. Identified locations within a presentation streammay be utilized to identify boundaries of segments within thepresentation stream, such as segments of a show and interstitials (e.g.,commercials) of the show. In various embodiments, identified portions ofa presentation stream may be utilized for presentation of particularsegments of content at a non-real time presentation rate, wherein theinterstitials are presented subsequent to the show, instead of beinginterspersed during the show.

In at least one embodiment, the presentation stream to be received,processed, outputted, and/or communicated may come in any form ofpresentation data, such as audio data, video data, A/V data, slide showsand the like. Further, the presentation stream may be supplied by anysource. A receiving device receives location information referencing alocation within the first presentation stream. For example, the locationinformation may be received separately from the first presentationstream. The location information may be supplied separately from thepresentation stream. Further, the location information may be suppliedby the same source as the presentation stream or a different source asthe presentation stream depending on desired design criteria.

In at least one embodiment, the receiving device identifies portions ofthe presentation stream such as boundaries of segments of content. Thereceiving device may then perform further processing using theseidentified portions of the presentation stream, such as changing thepresentation rate/order of the segments.

In at least one embodiment, identified segments may be designated forplayback at varying presentation rates. For example, some segments maybe played back at a real time presentation rate (e.g., 1×), whereasother segments may be played back at a non-real time presentation rate(e.g., 2× or 5×), and other segments may be skipped entirely during playback. The non-real time presentation rate may be faster or slower thanthe real time presentation rate depending on desired design criteria.For example, some segments may be presented in slow motion, allowing theuser more time to experience the content in the segment. In otherscenarios, segments may be presented in a fast forward mode (e.g., 5×rate). In still other scenarios, segments may be skipped entirely. Forexample, the commercials within a program may be automatically fastforwarded through or skipped over by the playback device. Subsequent tothe presentation of the program, the fast-forwarded or skippedcommercials may then be played. In one example, this may be accomplishedby replaying the program but fast forwarding through the programsegments (or skipping them entirely) and playing the commercials at areal-time rate. Thus, a user still sees the commercials and theadvertiser still receives some benefit from the advertising spot, butthe user saves time by watching the commercials after presentation ofthe program.

As described above, a presentation stream may come in any form of an A/Vstream. Exemplary A/V stream formats include Motion Picture ExpertsGroup (MPEG) standards, Flash, Windows Media and the like. It is to beappreciated that the A/V stream may be supplied by any source, such asan over-the-air broadcast, a satellite, or cable television distributionsystem, a digital video disk (DVD) or other optical disk, the internetor other communication networks and the like.

Generally, an A/V stream is a contiguous block of associated audio andvideo data that may be transmitted to, and received by, an electronicdevice, such as a terrestrial (“over-the-air”) television receiver, acable television receiver, a satellite television receiver, an internetconnected television or television receiver, a computer, a portableelectronic device, or the like. In at least one embodiment, an A/Vstream may include a recording of a contiguous block of programming froma television channel (e.g., an episode of a television show). Forexample, a DVR may record a single channel between 7:00 and 8:00, whichmay correspond with a single episode of a television program. Generally,an hour long recording includes approximately 42 minutes of video framesof the television program and approximately 18 minutes of video framesof commercials and other content that is not part of the televisionprogram.

The television program may include multiple segments of video frames,which are interspersed with interstitials (e.g., commercials). As usedherein, interstitials are the video frames of a recording that do notbelong to a selected show (e.g., commercials, promotions, alerts, andother shows). A segment of video includes contiguous video frames of theprogram that are between one or more interstitials.

Further, an A/V stream may be delivered by any transmission method, suchas broadcast, multicast, simulcast, closed circuit, pay-per-view,point-to-point (by “streaming,” file transfer, or other means), or othermethods. Additionally, the A/V stream may be transmitted by way of anycommunication technology, such as by satellite, wire or optical cable,wireless, or other means. The A/V stream may also be transferred overany type of communication network, such as the internet or other widearea network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a private network, amobile communication system, a terrestrial television network, a cabletelevision network, and a satellite television network. In someembodiments, content may be accessed from storage devices, such as harddrives, optical disks, portable storage mediums, e.g., USB flash drivesand the like.

In some embodiments, the A/V data may be associated with supplementaldata that includes text data, such as closed captioning data orsubtitles. Particular portions of the closed captioning data may beassociated with specified portions of the A/V data. The text dataassociated with an A/V stream may be processed to identify portions ofthe A/V stream. More particularly, the text data may be processed toidentify boundaries of portions of the A/V stream. The portions of theA/V stream between identified boundaries may then be designated forpresentation to a user at varying presentation rates/orders. In otherembodiments, boundaries are identified by metadata transmitted alongwith the broadcast programming. The boundaries may be identified at ahead-end processing facility, such as a broadcast provider, and thelocation of such boundaries may be transmitted to the receiver alongwith the broadcast programming. In general, boundaries can be identifiedby any means known in the art.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a system 100 for presenting contentto a user. The system of FIG. 1 is operable for identifying locationswithin a contiguous block of presentation data. Additionally, the systemof FIG. 1 is operable for identifying locations in a presentationstream, such as boundaries of segments of the presentation stream. Forexample, segments of presentation content may be identified andpresented at varying presentation rates and in varying presentationorders. The system 100 includes a communication network 102, a receivingdevice 110, and a presentation device 114. Each of these components isdiscussed in greater detail below. FIG. 1 may include other devices,components, or elements not illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The communication network 102 may be any communication network capableof transmitting a presentation stream. Exemplary communication networksinclude television distribution networks (e.g., over-the-air (OTA),satellite and cable television networks), radio broadcast networks,wireless communication networks, public switched telephone networks(PSTN), LANs and WANs providing data communication services. Thecommunication network 102 may utilize any desired combination of wired(e.g., cable and fiber) and/or wireless (e.g., cellular, satellite,microwave and radio frequency) communication mediums and any desirednetwork topology (or topologies when multiple mediums are utilized).

The receiving device 110 of FIG. 1 may be any device capable ofreceiving a presentation stream from the communication network 102. Inat least one embodiment, the communication network 102 comprises a cableor satellite television network for distribution of an A/V stream andthe receiving device 110 comprises a set-top box configured tocommunicate with the communication network 102. In at least oneembodiment, the receiving device 110 includes a DVR. In another example,the receiving device 110 may be computer, a personal digital assistant(PDA), or similar device configured to communicate with the internet orcomparable communication network 102 to receive and present A/V content.In at least one embodiment, the receiving device 110 includes a radiothat receives audio content, via broadcast, multicast or uni-cast, fromthe communication network 102. While the receiving device 110 isillustrated as receiving content via the communication network 102, inother embodiments, the receiving device may receive, capture, record,access and/or process presentation streams from non-broadcast services,such as optical disks, local storage devices (e.g., hard drives or flashmemory), video recorders, DVD players, personal computers, or theinternet.

The presentation device 114 may be any device configured to receive apresentation stream from the receiving device 110 and present thepresentation stream to a user. Examples of the presentation device 114include a television, a video monitor or similar device capable ofpresenting audio and/or video information to a user, a stereo or audioreceiver, a projector and the like. The receiving device 110 may becommunicatively coupled to the presentation device 114 through any typeof wired or wireless connection. Exemplary wired connections includecoax, fiber, composite video and high-definition multimedia interface(HDMI). Exemplary wireless connections include WiFi, ultra-wide band(UWB), and Bluetooth. In some implementations, the presentation device114 may be integrated within the receiving device 110. For example, eachof a computer, a television, a stereo with an integrated radio receiver,a PDA and a mobile communication device may serve as both the receivingdevice 110 and the presentation device 114 by providing the capabilityof receiving presentation streams from the communication network 102 andpresenting the received presentation streams to a user.

In the system 100, the communication network 102 transmits each of afirst presentation stream 104, signature data 106, and locationinformation 108 to the receiving device 110. In at least one embodiment,the first presentation stream 104 includes video data, such as a seriesof digital frames or single images to be presented in a serial fashionto a user. In another embodiment, the first presentation stream 104includes audio data, such as a series of audio samples to be presentedto the user. In some embodiments, the first presentation stream 104includes A/V data, including a combination of the aforementioned audiodata and video data that are presented simultaneously to the user. Inone example, the A/V data may be formatted according to one of the MPEGencoding standards, such as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, as may be used in DBSsystems, terrestrial Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)systems or cable systems. However, different audio and video dataformats may be utilized in other implementations.

The communication network 102 also transmits location information 108 tothe receiving device 110. The location information 108 may betransmitted to the receiving device 110 together or separately. Further,the location information 108 may be transmitted to the receiving device110 together or separately from the first presentation stream 104. Thelocation information 108 specifies information regarding the locationassociated with various segments. In at least one embodiment, thelocation information 108 specifies portions of the first presentationstream 104 that are to be presented at non-real time presentations rates(e.g., faster or slower than 1× rate, skipped, played in a differentorder, etc.) by the receiving device 110. For example, if the firstpresentation stream 104 includes one or more segments of a televisionshow interspersed with one or more interstitials, then the locationinformation 108 may identify the locations of the segments, which are tobe fast-forwarded through or skipped over during presentation of thetelevision show, and then subsequently played at the real-time rateafter the television show has concluded.

In at least one embodiment, the identification process is utilized toidentify interstitials within a first presentation stream 104 that areto be presented at different presentation rates and/or in differentpresentation orders. The location information 108 may identify theboundaries of either the segments or the interstitials depending ondesired design criteria. Generally, the beginning boundary of a segmentcorresponds with the ending boundary of an interstitial. Similarly, theending boundary of a segment corresponds with the beginning boundary ofan interstitial. Thus, the receiving device 110 may utilize theboundaries of segments to identify the boundaries of the interstitials,and vice versa. In some embodiments, the first presentation stream 104may not include both segments and interstitials, but nonetheless mayinclude portions of content that a user desires to playback at non-realtime rates. Thus, the location information 108 may identify whichportions of the content of the first presentation stream 104 are to bepresented at which presentation rates, and/or which portions of thecontent are to be presented in which order.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of afirst presentation stream received by the receiving device 110. FIG. 2will be discussed in reference to the system 100 of FIG. 1. The firstpresentation stream 104A includes a first segment 202 of content, aninterstitial 204, and a second segment 206 of content. Also indicatedare beginning and ending boundaries 208 and 210 of the interstitial 204,which are indicated to the receiving device 110 (see FIG. 1) by way ofthe location information 108. It is to be recognized that the boundaries208 and 210 of the interstitial 204 are also boundaries of the segments202 and 206. Also illustrated in FIG. 2 is a waveform 212 of the audiodata corresponding with the first presentation stream 104A and a timebar 220 that illustrates the presentation time of portions of the firstpresentation stream 104A. In the illustrated example, the location 214is in the middle of the interstitial 204. Thus, the receiving device 110may utilize “offsets” 216 and 218 to identify the boundaries of theinterstitial 204 (as well as the boundaries of the segments 202 and206). Responsive to identifying the boundaries, the receiving device 110may present the interstitial 204 at a non-real time presentation rateduring output of the content, for example skipping the interstitial, andsubsequently, once the content playback is completed, play theinterstitial 204 at a real time presentation rate.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a second presentation streamoutputted by the receiving device 110 of FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG.3, the receiving device 110 presents the interstitial 204 in the secondpresentation stream 112A at a faster presentation rate than the firstpresentation stream 104A. In some embodiments, the faster presentationrate is of sufficient speed such that it appears to the viewer that thesegment 204 is effectively “skipped over.” Thus, the second presentationstream 112A is presented in a shorter duration than the firstpresentation stream 104A.

Depending on the resiliency and other characteristics of the firstpresentation stream, the node of the communication network 102generating and transmitting the location information 108 may issue morethan one instance of the location information 108 to the receivingdevice 110. Each set of location information 108 may point to aparticular location within the first presentation stream 104. Each setof location information 108 may include different “off-set” values.Thus, the receiving device 110 may locate the boundaries of a particularsegment of the first presentation stream 104 based on identifyingmultiple locations within the first presentation stream 104. Each set oflocation information 108 may be issued separately, or may be transmittedin one more other sets.

In accordance with an embodiment, locations and segments of apresentation stream may be identified by processing supplement content,such as text data, associated with the presentation stream. For example,closed captioning data associated with an A/V stream may be processed toidentify locations within the A/V stream. In accordance with anotherembodiment, locations and segments of a presentation stream may beidentified by processing metadata broadcast accompanying the televisioncontent, such metadata being supplied by the broadcast distributor at ahead-end facility.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a system 400 for presenting contentto a user. The system of FIG. 4 is operable for identifying A/V contentin a contiguous block of A/V data. The system 400 includes acommunication network 402, a receiving device 410, and a display device414. Each of these components is discussed in greater detail below. Thesystem 400 of FIG. 4 may include other devices, components, or elementsnot illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The communication network 402 may be any communication network capableof transmitting an A/V stream to a receiving device 110. Thecommunication network 402 may be similar to the communication network102 of FIG. 1. The receiving device 410 of FIG. 4 may be any devicecapable of receiving an A/V stream from the communication network 402and outputting the A/V stream for presentation by a display device 414.The receiving device 410 may be similar to the receiving device 110,with additional hardware, software, or control logic provided toidentify locations within an A/V stream as described below. The displaydevice 414 may be any device configured to receive an A/V stream fromthe receiving device 410 and present the A/V stream to a user. Thedisplay device 414 may be similar to the presentation device 114described above. Further discussion of the communication network 402,the receiving device 410, and the display device 414 is omitted hereinfor the sake of brevity.

In the system 400, the communication network 402 transmits a first A/Vstream 404 and location information 406 to the receiving device 410.Also associated with the first A/V stream 404 is supplemental dataproviding information relevant to the audio data and/or the video dataof the first A/V stream 404. In one implementation, the supplementaldata includes text data, such as closed captioning data, available forvisual presentation to a user during the presentation of the associatedaudio and video data of the first A/V stream 404. In some embodiments,the text data may be embedded within the first A/V stream 404 duringtransmission across the communication network 402 to the receivingdevice 410. In one example, the text data may conform to any text dataor closed captioning standard, such as the Electronic IndustriesAlliance 608 (EIA-608) standard employed in transmissions or the EIA-708standard. When the text data is available to the display device 414, theuser may configure the display device 414 to present the text data tothe user in conjunction with the video data. In other embodiments, thesupplemental data includes metadata identifying boundaries as suppliedby a content provider at a head-end facility.

Each of a number of portions of the text data or metadata may beassociated with a corresponding portion of the audio data or video dataalso included in the A/V stream 404. For example, one or more frames ofthe video data of the A/V stream 404 may be specifically identified witha segment of the text data or metadata included in the first A/V stream404. A segment of text data or metadata (e.g., a string of bytes) mayinclude displayable text strings and/or non-displayable data strings(e.g., codes). As a result, multiple temporal locations within the A/Vstream 404 may be identified by way of an associated portion of the textdata or metadata. For example, a particular text string or phrase withinthe text data may be associated with one or more specific frames of thevideo data within the first A/V stream 404 so that the text string ispresented to the user simultaneously with its associated video dataframes. In another example, the metadata provides code information tothe receiver simultaneously with video and audio data to identifysegment boundary locations to the content receiver.

The communication network 402 also transmits location information 406 tothe receiving device 410. The location information 406 may betransmitted to the receiving device 410 together or separately from thefirst A/V stream 404. The location information 406 specifies locationswithin the first A/V stream 404 that are to be presented at varyingpresentation rates during presentation of the A/V data of the first A/Vstream 404 by the receiving device 410. For example, if the first A/Vstream 404 includes one or more segments of a television showinterspersed with one or more interstitials, then the locationinformation 406 may identify the locations of the segments, which are tobe presented at a first presentation rate or in a first presentationorder, and/or identify the locations of the interstitial, which are tobe presented at a second presentation rate or in a second presentationorder. The receiving device 410 is operable for processing the text dataand/or metadata to identify the portions of the first A/V stream 404 andidentify the presentation rates/orders for each of the portions of thefirst A/V stream 404. The receiving device 410 outputs a second A/Vstream 412 that includes the identified portions presented at varyingratesorders for presentation by the display device 414.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a graphical representation of thefirst A/V stream 404A received by the receiving device 410, and a secondA/V stream 412A outputted by the receiving device 410. Moreparticularly, FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment in which an interstitialfrom the first A/V stream 404A is presented at a faster presentationrate (for example, a rate that effectively “skips through” such stream)during presentation of the second A/V stream 412A and the segment 506 ispresented at a slower presentation rate than in the first A/V stream404A. FIG. 5 will be discussed in reference to the system 400 of FIG. 4.

The first A/V stream 404 includes a first A/V segment 502 of a show, aninterstitial 504, and a second A/V segment 506 of the show. The time bar512 illustrates the duration for each of the segment 502, interstitial504, and the segment 506. Also indicated are beginning and endingboundaries 508 and 510 of the interstitial 504, which are indicated tothe receiving device 410 (see FIG. 4) by way of the location information406. It is to be recognized that the boundaries 508 and 510 of theinterstitial 504 are also boundaries of the segments 502 and 506. Thesupplemental data of the A/V stream 404A is not shown in FIG. 5 tosimplify the diagram. Alternatively, location information 406 can begenerated by a user to identify a video location within the audio/videostream (for example, an user can using pause to mark a segment's startand end during playback).

In the specific example of FIG. 5, the boundary 508 (e.g., the endingboundary of segment 502) is the starting point at which the presentationof the interstitial 504 is to be modified during presentation in thesecond A/V stream 412A, for example by fast forwarding or skipping theinterstitial 504 entirely. Likewise, the boundary 510 (e.g., thebeginning boundary of segment 506) is the ending point at which theinterstitial 504 is to be presented at the modified presentation rate.As illustrated, the interstitial 504 is presented at a fasterpresentation rate in the second A/V stream 412A, which, in oneembodiment, can include skipping past the interstitial 504 entirely. Asa result of the modifications to the presentation rates of theinterstitial 504, the second A/V stream 412A is shorter in duration thanthe first A/V stream 404A.

The boundaries 508 and 510 are identified based on the location of oneor more video locations within the first A/V stream 404A. Moreparticularly, the beginning and ending boundaries of a segment (orinterstitial) of the first A/V stream 404A may be specified by a singlevideo location within the segment. Thus, each segment may be identifiedby a unique video location within the first A/V stream 404A.

In some embodiments, multiple video locations may be utilized to specifythe beginning and ending boundaries of a segment. In at least oneembodiment, a single video location is utilized to identify thebeginning and ending boundaries of a segment. The video location may belocated at any point within the segment, and offsets may be utilized tospecify the beginning and ending boundaries of the segment relative tothe video location. In one implementation, a human operator, of acontent provider of the first A/V stream 404A, bears responsibility forselecting the location and/or the offsets. In other examples, videolocation and offset selection occurs automatically under computercontrol, or by way of human-computer interaction. A node within thecommunication network 402 may then transmit the selected locationinformation 406, along with the forward and backward offset data.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment in accordance with the presentdisclosure. As noted above with regard to FIG. 5, two segments arepresent in the stream 412A, segments 502 and 506. As above, these areplayed at a real-time rate. Further included in the stream is theinterstitial 504. The interstitial is played back at a non-real timerate, such as fast-forwarded or skipped entirely. Thereafter, uponcompletion of playback of the segment 506 at the real-time rate, thestream may re-wind or “skipped backwards”, as indicated by arrow 413A,to the location of the beginning of interstitial 504, i.e., boundary508. Then, the interstitial may be played back at a real-time rate, asindicated in the illustration subsequent to the playback of segment 506.It is noted that the stream itself is not modified, rather, only theplayback order/rate are modified, such that it gives the appearance tothe viewer that the interstitial has been moved to or added to the endof the stream 412A; however, this is accomplished by rewinding orskipping backward, and playing the previously skipped or fast-forwardedinterstitial 504, not by modifying the stream 412A.

Described above, various techniques for identifying locations withinpresentation stream have been noted. The techniques may be utilizedtogether to enhance the location identification process performed by areceiving device. FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a system 700 forpresenting content to a user. The system of FIG. 7 is operable forpresenting A/V content from a contiguous block of A/V data at varyingpresentation rates. The system 700 includes a communication network402A, a receiving device 410A, and a display device 414. Each of thesecomponents is discussed in greater detail below. The system 700 of FIG.7 may include other devices, components or elements not illustrated forthe sake of brevity. Discussion of components common to FIG. 4 isomitted herein for the sake of brevity.

The receiving device 410A is operable to receive a first A/V stream 404and location information 406A. The location information 406A referencesclosed captioning data to identify a video location within the first A/Vstream 404. Additionally, the location information includes at least oneoff-set specified relative to the video location. The receiving device410A is operable to identify portions of the A/V stream 404 based on thelocation information 406A. Responsive to identifying portions of thefirst A/V stream 404, the receiving device 410 presents particularportions of the first AV stream 404 at varying presentation rates tooutput a second A/V stream 412 for presentation by the display device414.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graphical representation of the first presentationstream of FIG. 7. The first A/V stream 404A includes a segment 802 andan interstitial 804. The segment 802 is bounded by boundaries 806 and808. The location information 406 specifies a video location 810utilized to identify the boundaries 806 and 808. First, the receivingdevice 410A processes metadata associated with the first A/V stream 404to identify an intermediate location 812 within the first A/V stream404. Based upon locating the intermediate location 812, the receivingdevice 410A identifies search boundaries 814 and 816. The video location810 is located within the search boundaries 814 and 816. In at least oneembodiment, the search boundaries 814 and 816 are specified as off-setsrelative to the intermediate location 812.

Responsive to identifying the boundaries 814 and 816, the receivingdevice 410A processes the content of the first A/V stream 404 within theboundaries 814 and 816 to identify the video location 810 correspondingwith the signature data 706. The processing of the content within thesearch boundaries may be performed as described above in reference toFIG. 1. Responsive to identifying the video location 810, the receivingdevice 410A utilizes off-sets 818 and 820 to identify the boundaries 806and 808 of the segment 802.

The receiving device 410A may then operate to output the content withinthe boundaries 806 and 808 at a first presentation rate. In at least oneembodiment, the first presentation rate is a real-time presentation rateof the segment 802, e.g., the same presentation rate of the segment 802as originally transmitted to the receiving device 410A. The receivingdevice 410A may then output the interstitial 804 at a secondpresentation rate. In at least one embodiment, the second presentationrate is greater than the first presentation rate. In other words, theinterstitial 804 is shown at a faster rate than the segment 802. Similarprocesses may be performed to identify the boundaries of other portionsof the first A/V stream 404 to determine a presentation rate to presentthe-other portions of the first A/V stream 404. Thereafter, as describedabove with regard to FIG. 6, subsequent to the real-time presentation ofall segments (i.e., 802), the interstitials may be played-back at areal-time rate, which may be accomplished by rewinding or skippingbackward in the stream 404A to the beginning boundary of theinterstitial 804, and thereafter playing the interstitial 804 at areal-time rate.

A more explicit view of a receiving device 910 according to oneembodiment is illustrated in FIG. 9. The receiving device 910 includes acommunication interface 902, a storage unit 916, an A/V interface 918and control logic 920. In some implementations, a user interface 922 mayalso be employed in the receiving device 910. Other components possiblyincluded in the receiving device 910, such as demodulation circuitry,decoding logic, and the like, are not shown explicitly in FIG. 9 tofacilitate brevity of the discussion.

The communication interface 902 may include circuitry to receive a firstA/V stream 904 and location information 908. If the receiving device 910is a satellite set-top box, then the communication interface 902 may beconfigured to receive satellite programming, such as the first A/Vstream 904, via an antenna from a satellite transponder. If, instead,the receiving device 910 is a cable set-top box, then the communicationinterface 902 may be operable to receive cable television signals andthe like over a coaxial cable. In either case, the communicationinterface 902 may receive the location information 908 by employing thesame technology used to receive the first A/V stream 904. In anotherimplementation, the communication interface 902 may receive the locationinformation 908 by way of another communication technology, such as theinternet, a standard telephone network, or other means. Thus, thecommunication interface 902 may employ one or more differentcommunication technologies, including wired and wireless communicationtechnologies, to communicate with a communication network, such as thecommunication network 102 of FIG. 1.

Coupled to the communication interface 902 is a storage unit 916, whichis configured to store the first A/V stream 904. The storage unit 916may include any storage component configured to store one or more suchA/V streams. Examples include, but are not limited to, a hard diskdrive, an optical disk drive, and flash semiconductor memory. Further,the storage unit 916 may include either or both volatile and nonvolatilememory.

Communicatively coupled with the storage unit 916 is an A/V interface918, which is configured to output A/V streams from the receiving device910 to a display device 914 for presentation to a user. The A/Vinterface 918 may incorporate circuitry to output the A/V streams in anyformat recognizable by the display device 914, including compositevideo, component video, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-DefinitionMultimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA),Ethernet, Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MOCA), WiFi and IEEE 1394. Datamay be compressed and/or transcoded for output to the display device914. The A/V interface 918 may also incorporate circuitry to supportmultiple types of these or other A/V formats. In one example, thedisplay device 914, such as a television monitor or similar displaycomponent, may be incorporated within the receiving device 910, asindicated earlier.

In communication with the communication interface 902, the storage unit916, and the A/V interface 918 is control logic 920 configured tocontrol the operation of each of these three components 902, 916, 918.In one implementation, the control logic 920 includes a processor, suchas a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), orthe like for execution of software configured to perform the variouscontrol functions described herein. In another embodiment, the controllogic 920 may include hardware logic circuitry in lieu of, or inaddition to, a processor and related software to allow the control logic920 to control the other components of the receiving device 910.

Optionally, the control logic 920 may communicate with a user interface922 configured to receive user input 923 directing the operation of thereceiving device 910. The user input 923 may be generated by way of aremote control device 924, which may transmit the user input 923 to theuser interface 922 by the use of, for example, infrared (IR) or radiofrequency (RF) signals. In another embodiment, the user input 923 may bereceived more directly by the user interface 922 by way of a touchpad orother manual interface incorporated into the receiving device 910.

The receiving device 910, by way of the control logic 920, is configuredto receive the first A/V stream 904 by way of the communicationinterface 902, and store the A/V stream 904 in the storage unit 916. Thelocation information 908 is also received at the communication interface902, which may pass the location information 908 to the control logic920 for processing. In another embodiment, the location information 908may be stored in the storage unit 916 for subsequent retrieval andprocessing by the control logic 920.

At some point after the location information 908 is processed, thecontrol logic 920 generates and transmits a second A/V stream 912 overthe A/V interface 918 to the display device 914. In one embodiment, thecontrol logic 920 generates and transmits the second A/V stream 912 inresponse to the user input 923. For example, the user input 923 maycommand the receiving device 910 to output the first A/V stream 904 tothe display device 914 for presentation. In response, the control logic920 instead generates and outputs the second A/V stream 912. Asdescribed above in reference to FIG. 1, the second A/V stream 912includes portions of the A/V data of the first A/V stream 904 presentedat varying presentation streams.

Depending on the implementation, the second A/V stream 912 may or maynot be stored as a separate data structure in the storage unit 916. Inone example, the control logic 920 generates and stores the entiresecond A/V stream 912 in the storage unit 916. The control logic 920 mayfurther overwrite the first A/V stream 904 with the second A/V stream912 to save storage space within the storage unit 916. Otherwise, boththe first A/V stream 904 and the second A/V stream 912 may reside withinthe storage unit 916. In another implementation, the second A/V stream912 may not be stored separately within the storage unit 916. Forexample, the control logic 920 may instead generate the second A/Vstream 912 “on the fly” by transferring selected portions of the audiodata and the video data of the first A/V stream 904 in presentationorder from the storage unit 916 to the A/V interface 918. If applicable,portions of the first A/V stream 904 may be processed and output atdiffering presentation rates (e.g., at faster or slower presentationrates).

In one implementation, a user may select by way of the user input 923whether the first A/V stream 904 or the second A/V stream 912 isoutputted to the display device 914 by way of the A/V interface 918. Inother words, the user is able to select whether to watch the first A/Vstream 904 at the real-time presentation rate (e.g., lx) or whether towatch portions of the first A/V stream 904 at differing presentationrates (e.g., skipping over commercials or displaying them at a fasterpresentation rate). In another embodiment, a content provider of thefirst A/V stream 904 may prevent the user from maintaining such controlby way of additional information delivered to the receiving device 910.

In a broadcast environment, such as that depicted in the system 1000 ofFIG. 10, multiple receiving devices 1010A-E may be coupled to acommunication network 1002 to receive A/V streams, any of which may berecorded, in whole or in part, by any of the receiving devices 1010A-E.In conjunction with any number of these A/V streams, locationinformation for portions of the A/V stream which are to be presented atvarying presentation rates and/or varying audio levels may betransferred to the multiple receiving devices 1010A-E. In response toreceiving the A/V streams, each of the receiving devices 1010A-E mayrecord any number of the A/V streams received. For any associatedlocation information that are transmitted over the communication network1002, each receiving device 1010A-E may then review whether the receivedlocation information are associated with an A/V stream currently storedin the device 1010A-E. If the associated stream is not stored therein,then the receiving device 1010A-E may delete or ignore the related andlocation information received.

In another embodiment, instead of broadcasting each location informationdata set, the transfer of an A/V stream stored within the receivingdevice 1010A-E to an associated display device 1014A-E may cause thereceiving device 1010A-E to query the communication network 1002 for anyoutstanding location information that apply to the stream to bepresented. For example, the communication network 1002 may include aninternet connection. As a result, the broadcasting of each portion oflocation information would not be required, thus potentially reducingthe amount of consumed bandwidth over the communication network 1002.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a process for outputting a streamof data. More particularly, the process of FIG. 11 is operable forpresenting portions of a presentation stream at varying presentationrates (e.g., fast forwarding through commercials). The process of FIG.11 will be discussed in reference to modifying the presentation rate ofinterstitials in a presentation stream, but it is to be appreciated thatthe process of FIG. 11 may be operable to modify any portion of apresentation stream. The process of FIG. 11 may include other operationsnot illustrated for the sake of brevity.

The process includes providing a first presentation stream including atleast one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show(operation 1102). In at least one embodiment, operation 1102 includesreceiving the presentation stream from an external source. Operation1102 may optionally include storing the first presentation stream forsubsequent playback. In other embodiment, operation 1102 may includeaccessing the first presentation stream from a storage device. Theprocess further includes receiving location information referencing alocation within the first presentation stream (operation 1104). Theprocess also includes receiving a signature of a portion of the firstpresentation stream corresponding with the location (operation 1106) andreceiving at least one-offset, specified relative to the location(operation 1108).

Still further, the process includes identifying the location in thefirst presentation stream based on the signature and the locationinformation (operation 1110). Responsive to identifying the location,the process includes processing the first presentation stream toidentify boundaries of the segment of the show based on the identifiedlocation and the off-set (operation 1112). The process further includesoutputting the segment of the show at a first presentation rate forpresentation by a display device (operation 1114) and outputting theinterstitial of the show at a second presentation rate for presentationby the display device (operation 1116). In at least one embodiment, thesecond presentation rate is greater than the first presentation rate.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description of the invention, it should beappreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also beappreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments areonly examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability,or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoingdetailed description will provide those skilled in the art with aconvenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of theinvention. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangementof elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing fromthe scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for processing an audio/video stream,the method comprising: receiving an audio/video stream including atleast one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show;receiving location information to identify a video location within theaudio/video stream, wherein receiving the location information occurscontemporaneously with the step of receiving the audio/video stream;automatically, and without user input, processing the audio/video streamto identify boundaries of the at least one segment of the show based onthe location information; outputting the segment of the show forpresentation by a display device while not outputting the interstitial,wherein not outputting the interstitial is performed automaticallywithout user input; and outputting the interstitial for presentation bythe display device subsequent to outputting the segment of the show,wherein outputting the interstitial subsequent to outputting the segmentoccurs automatically without user input.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein outputting the at least one interstitial comprises rewinding theaudio/video stream to a beginning boundary of the at least oneinterstitial.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the locationinformation comprises receiving the location information separately fromthe audio/video stream.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein processing theaudio/video stream further comprises identifying boundaries of the atleast one interstitial.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the locationinformation includes at least one text string.
 6. A method forprocessing an audio/video stream, the method comprising: receiving anaudio/video stream including at least one segment of a show and at leastone interstitial of the show; receiving location information referencingthe interstitial of the show to identify a video location within theaudio/video stream, wherein receiving the location information occurscontemporaneously with the step of receiving the audio/video stream;automatically, and without user input, processing the audio/video streamto identify boundaries of the at least one segment of the show;outputting the segment of the show at a first presentation rate forpresentation by a display device; outputting the interstitial of theshow at a second presentation rate for presentation by the displaydevice, wherein outputting the interstitial at the second presentationrate is performed automatically without user input; and subsequent tooutputting the segment of the show, outputting the interstitial of theshow at the first presentation rate for presentation by the displaydevice, wherein outputting the interstitial at the first presentationrate subsequent to outputting the segment occurs automatically withoutuser input.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second presentationrate is greater than the first presentation rate.
 8. The method of claim6, wherein receiving the location information comprises receiving thelocation information separately from the audio/video stream.
 9. Themethod of claim 6, further comprising: receiving a signature of aportion of the audio/video stream associated with the video location;wherein processing the audio/video stream to identify the boundaries isfurther based on processing of the signature.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the location information includes at least one text string. 11.A digital video recorder comprising: a communication interface thatreceives an audio/video stream including at least one segment of a showand at least one interstitial of the show; a storage medium; controllogic communicatively coupled to the communication interface and thestorage medium that: coordinates storage of the audio/video stream ontothe storage medium; receives location information to identify a videolocation within the audio/video stream, wherein receiving the locationinformation occurs contemporaneously with the step of receiving theaudio/video stream; and automatically, and without user input, processesthe recorded audio/video stream to identify boundaries of the at leastone segment of the show; an audio/video interface communicativelycoupled to the control logic that outputs the segment of the show forpresentation by a display device while not outputting the interstitial,wherein not outputting the interstitial is performed automaticallywithout user input, and, subsequently to outputting the segment, outputsthe interstitial for presentation by the display device, wherein theaudio/video interface outputs the interstitial subsequent to outputtingthe segment automatically without user input.
 12. The digital videorecorder of claim 11, wherein the audio/video interface is configured toprocess a plurality of audio/video streams.
 13. The digital videorecorder of claim 11, wherein the control logic receives the locationinformation separately from the audio/video stream.
 14. The digitalvideo recorder of claim 13, wherein the control logic is furtheroperable to receive a signature of a portion of the audio/video streamassociated with the video location and process the audio/video stream toidentify the boundaries based on the signature.
 15. The digital videorecorder of claim 14, wherein the location information includes at leastone text string.
 16. A digital video recorder comprising: acommunication interface that receives an audio/video stream including atleast one segment of a show and at least one interstitial of the show; astorage medium; control logic communicatively coupled to thecommunication interface and the storage medium that: coordinates storageof the audio/video stream onto the storage medium; receives locationinformation to identify a video location within the audio/video stream,wherein receiving the location information occurs contemporaneously withthe step of receiving the audio/video stream; and automatically, andwithout user input, processes the recorded audio/video stream toidentify boundaries of the at least one segment of the show; anaudio/video interface communicatively coupled to the control logic thatoutputs the segment of the show at a first presentation rate forpresentation by a display device, outputs the interstitial of the showat a second presentation rate for presentation by the display device,wherein outputting the interstitial at the second presentation rate isperformed automatically without user input, and subsequent to outputtingthe segment of the show, outputs the interstitial of the show at thefirst presentation rate for presentation by the display device, whereinthe audio/video interface outputs the interstitial at the firstpresentation rate subsequent to outputting the segment automaticallywithout user input.
 17. The digital video recorder of claim 16, whereinthe second presentation rate is greater than the first presentationrate.
 18. The digital video recorder of claim 17, wherein the controllogic receives the location information separately from the audio/videostream.
 19. The digital video recorder of claim 18, wherein the controllogic is further operable to receive a signature of a portion of theaudio/video stream associated with the video location and process theaudio/video stream to identify the boundaries based on the signature andthe location information.
 20. The digital video recorder of claim 19,wherein the location information includes at least one text string.